Flood-gate



(No Model.) I

W. S.` HUSTON.

` FLOOD GATE. No; 880,653. PatentedApr. 3, 1888.

lhvrTn STATES PATENT Trice.

VINFIELD S. HUSTON, OF FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO.

FLOO DHGATE.

SPECIFXCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,653, dated April 3, 1888.

Application iilcd January 7, 1888. Serial INo. 260,0(37. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WINFIELD S. HUsToN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in thc county of Fayette, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flood-Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,'and to the letters and gurcs of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in flood-gates or" that class which are pivotally suspended from a beam across a stream, and which are adapted to be swung upward by the force of the water.

My invention consists in a locking device which is automatically released as the gate is swung upward, there being also a counterweight which operates upon the releasing of the locking device, the gate being thereby pulled up out of the way of the water.

Figure l is an elevation of my improved flood-gate, as seen from the lower side. Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofthe same, the gate being partially elevated. Fig. 3 is a cross-secion through line x x, Fig. l. rlhe gate in this iigure is shown elevated to its extreme height.

At ordinary stages of water in the stream over which the iloodgate is suspended it is allowed to swing outward from a perpendicular to accrtain limit, its weight being borne uponly by the force of the water against it; but as soon as the water rises above a certain height the locking device is released, freeing a counter-weight which is suspended by a chain passing over a pulley above the gate, and connected with the latter, and this counter-weight, thus released, serves to pull the gatevup to a horizontal plane above the water-way.

In the drawings, A is the gate, which consists of the two end pieces or hangers, c, of square lumber of the necessary length. rlhese hangers are connected by the longitudinal beam d, the ends of which are tenoned in the hangers near the middle of the latter'. rlhe apron e is made of heavy plank, extending from one hanger to the other and up onto the beam d, and is fastened upon the upper side or face of the gate.

The gate A is suspended bystrap-ir-ons b b (secured by bolts and nuts to the hangers c c) from the eyebolts c @which latter are secured in the truss-beam B` extending over the gate across the stream. The beam B is rigidly fastened at the ends into posts C C, which latter stand on opposite sides of the stream over which the gate is suspended. To give firmness to the gate care should be taken to set the posts deep into the ground, or secure them by mortise and tenon into heavytimbers sunk in the ground, so as to preserve their alignment, also that the gate may be at all times in line therewith and perpendicular to the stream when it hangs down. The beam B is best secured in the posts C C by mortise and tenon, as shown. The eyebolts a care inserted through the beam B,nearest the front side of the latter, and the strapirons b are secured to the upstream side of the hangers c c, so that when the gate is thrown up to a horizontal plane (as seen in the vertical section, Fig. 3) the top ends of the hangers strike the beam B, preventing the gate from being raised any higher, the length of the strap-irons above the hangers being just suiiicient to allow of this. The ends of the strap-irons have eyes or curved hooks on them to engage the eyebolts a a. The hangers c c are tapered slightly from the beam d to their lower ends to reduce their weight.

On the beam B, at the middle,isan upright post, f, having a cleft mortised out of its top end, in which is a fixed pulley-wheel, g, at right angleswith the line of the beam and gate. Under the post f, and extending outward from the lower side of the beam B, is a short piece, 7L, having a notch of V shape in its outer end. This piece h may be of oblong shape, having its front end formed into a tenon, and extend through the lower end of post f, which latter is preferably formed into a long tenon and extends down through a vertical mortise in the beam B far enough below the beam to allow the tenon end of h to pass through it, as described. Ahole is bored in the tenon of f, below h, and a wooden pin, driven through this hole,secures both the post F and arm h in their places.

By reference to the figures it will be notieed that the apron c is on the front side of the gate and projects above beam d along its Whole extent. At the middle line of the gate IOC .chain being` pulled outward from its engagea chain, l, is fastened by one end near the lower edge of the apron and extends from the lower side up over the pulley g, and has a weight, m, on its opposite end, which hangs on the upper side of the gate. On this chain (near the middle) is a ball, n, rigidly secured thereto. Tobring the gate to its normal position, as seen in Fig. 1, the chain Z is drawn down over pulley g, raising the weight m until the ball n is below the piece h, (the ment with notch z' to let the ball pass, when it is dropped` back into the notch with the ball n below the latter.) The weight m, which is drawn up near the beam, holds the ball in engagement with the notch i, and that part of the chain below ball n being slack alf `lows the gate to swing freely downward (orv down stream).to a certain limit. Under the chain, on the middle line of the gate, is an inclined board, k, which extends from near the lower edge of the apron e4 (on the downstream side of the latter) up above the rail d nearly to the end of the piece h. It is high enough to just clear the outer end of the notched piece h as the gate swings upward.

This board 7s is provided at the upper end with a curved notch, j, which latter is made semicircular to allow the chain to pass through it freely, while at the same time it is small enough to catch against the ball n as it slides upward on the chain. The tripper k is secured to the apron below and to the beam or rail d by bolts. As the gate rises from the force of the water, the upper end of tripper 7c comes in contact with ball n, and, pushing it outward,

releases it from the notch t', when the weight m falls and pulls the gate upward until it is arrested by the upper ends of its' hangers c c striking the lower side of the beam B, where it is held by the weight above the stream.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a oodgate suspended from a beam, as described, of a chain, a weight attached thereto, aball on said chain', a pulley above the suspending beam over which said chain is carried, the notched piece with which said ball engages, and the tripper adapted to engage said chain below said ball and to disengage the latter as the gate reaches a limited height, and thus frce the weight and cause it to raise the gate to its full height, sub

stantially as set forth.

2. The combination, witha dood-gate, of a fixed pulley, a chain having one end attached to said gate and passing over said pulley, a weight at the opposite end ofsaid chain adapted to elevate said gate, a ball on said chain between the weight and the end attached to the gate, a device to hold said ball in engagement when said weight is drawn up, and thereby prevent the latter from operating the gate with said ball engaged, and a tripping or detaching device to disengage said ball and allow said weight to elevate the gate when the latter shall have reached a limited height by the force of the water, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WINFIELD S. HUSTON.

Witnesses:

POPE GREGG, JAMEs STRALEY. 

